Computer systems are becoming increasingly complex and now have the ability to recognize and process a variety of content types. For example, computer users may now utilize the computer to store and manipulate video, image, audio and text files. As the variety of content types has increased, the computer user is challenged to organize the files in such a way so as to allow the files to be readily located and accessed. Many computers are now utilizing operating systems having graphical user interfaces. On such computers, depending upon the content type, one particular view of the contents may be more readily usable than another view. The computer user may have the opportunity to manually change from one view to another, until the desired view is obtained. However, the computer user may not be aware of the different view options available within the operating system.
As a matter of very general background, a file is any collection of related information stored on a computer system and given a name so that it can be retrieved when needed. The type of information contained within the file can vary greatly. The file can be a computer program, a document, a piece of music, a video clip, as well as any of a number of different things. In most major operating systems, the files are organized within collections called folders. A folder is basically another type of file, i.e. one that contains a list of other files.
When the computer user opens a folder, the operating system may display the files contained within the folder. As stated above, one particular view of the files may be more readily usable than another view. The present invention assists the computer user by presenting the user with a view based upon the type of files and the number of files that the folder contains.